100% Rye Bread Recipe

Rye bread is a traditional Eastern European bread recipe. It’s still popular across Russia, Germany and the Baltic states. This was largely due to the fact that rye grains were easy to grow in bitter climates and not only grew well on farms but in the wild as well.

For this recipe we’re going to look at a rye bread made with 100% rye flour. This was the traditional recipe used across Eastern Europe due to the fact that rye grass was hardy and easy to grow in bitter weather, and often grew in the wild.

You should know that rye flour lacks significant amounts of gluten which cause yeast to grow and raise a loaf of bread. The result is that you will end up with a very heavy and dense loaf of bread. It will still have an excellent taste but don’t be disappointed if the loaf does not rise and is very dense. You should also know that rye flour is not gluten free, it simply lacks the same amount of gluten that you find in bread flour, all-purpose flour, and wheat flour.

This rye bread recipe can be made in your bread machine using the whole wheat setting. If you have a 100% whole wheat setting that’s even better. It has a great flavor and works really well as a foundation for an appetizer or canape and should be sliced thin.

One caution is that you will find this recipe does not coalesce into a dough ball in your bread machine like other breads made with more traditional flours. You will have to lift the lid during the early kneading process and push the rye dough towards the kneading paddle from time to time to form the dough ball. Stick with it throughout the kneading process. If need be, removed the dough ball from the pan and form it into a dough ball with your hands and drop it back into the bread pan.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of water at 110 degrees Fahrenheit

2 teaspoons of salt

¼ cup of canola or olive or vegetable oil

¼ cup of honey

2 eggs at room temperature

3 tablespoons of dry milk (optional)

4 cups of rye flour

2 ¼ teaspoons of bread machine yeast or active dry yeast

Topping:

1 teaspoon of caraway seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1

Add all of the ingredients to the bread machine in the order indicated in the ingredients list.

2

Select the whole wheat setting for a 2-pound loaf (1-pound loaf if you have divided the recipe in half), and a medium crust. Select the 100% whole wheat setting if your bread machine has one.

3

During the kneading cycle, remember to open the lid and force the dough towards the kneading paddle with a plastic spatula. If kneading concludes and you still don’t have a dough ball, remove from the bread pan and form into your hand until you have a dough ball and drop back into the bread pan.

4

After the kneading cycle and before the rising cycle sprinkle the reserved teaspoon of caraway seeds on the top if you choose to use them.

5

When done, remove from the bread pan and let cool on a wire rack for 10-minutes. Slice thin and serve.

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of water at 110 degrees Fahrenheit

2 teaspoons of salt

¼ cup of canola or olive or vegetable oil

¼ cup of honey

2 eggs at room temperature

3 tablespoons of dry milk (optional)

4 cups of rye flour

2 ¼ teaspoons of bread machine yeast or active dry yeast

Topping:

1 teaspoon of caraway seeds (optional)

Directions

DIRECTIONS:

1

Add all of the ingredients to the bread machine in the order indicated in the ingredients list.

2

Select the whole wheat setting for a 2-pound loaf (1-pound loaf if you have divided the recipe in half), and a medium crust. Select the 100% whole wheat setting if your bread machine has one.

3

During the kneading cycle, remember to open the lid and force the dough towards the kneading paddle with a plastic spatula. If kneading concludes and you still don’t have a dough ball, remove from the bread pan and form into your hand until you have a dough ball and drop back into the bread pan.

4

After the kneading cycle and before the rising cycle sprinkle the reserved teaspoon of caraway seeds on the top if you choose to use them.

5

When done, remove from the bread pan and let cool on a wire rack for 10-minutes. Slice thin and serve.

Steve Nubie has been writing professionally for 38 years. He is a Chef and has traveled across Asia and Europe studying language, culture and cuisine. He instructs culinary classes in the Culinary School at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and has written extensively on cuisine, cooking, diet and nutrition. He is a published author of 10 books including a cookbook and continues to write on subjects related to culinary trends.

Yes, you can use honey, corn syrup or maple syrup. They all provide a source of sugar that the yeast likes so it can grow and multiply. Molasses has the added benefit of imparting a rich, brown color to the bread but it’s only for appearances. Any of the alternatives will still deliver on taste.

Why do you show the insertion of the dry ingredient corn starch in with the wet ingredients when my machine manufacturer Zojirushi BB PAC20 says all liquids should be first?

Also, why should we place dry ingredients in an order? Wouldn’t it be better to just whisk and combine all the dry ingredients (except the yeast) and then place that all on top of the wet in the baking pan?

Just about any order works as long as the yeast is added last. Some dry ingredients are best added to a wet ingredient to allow it to dissolve and integrate better. This is especially true with salt, sugar, baking powder or baking soda and cornstarch. If in doubt, follow the manufacturers instructions.

Hi, No, you don’t have to do the egg wash if you’re not using seeds. But an egg wash gives a nice glistening look to the finished bread. However, if you’re allergic to eggs or have another reason to not use them, that’s okay. The bread will still come out looking and tasting great

There is nothing wrong with this recipe. A common problem is humidity. If the flour is extra dry it needs more moisture. Adding a tablespoon at a time to get the right consistency is all that is needed. You did the right thing. Also, the other wet ingredients including the molasses and the oil should have helped. I re-baked this using thin recipe and had a good result but you did the right thing adding a bit of water to compensate.

My husband just made this and the flavour is wonderful! Unfortunately the bread didn’t rise and is a pile of crumbly balls. He swears he followed the recipe exactly, proper measures, yeast good, water temperature. The only thing he did was use olive oil as his vegetable oil. We live in VERY dry Calgary with high altitude.

Sorry to hear that! There’s no difference between olive oil and vegetable oil when it comes to a bread recipe so that’s not the problem. You could try omitting salt which inhibits yeast growth; adding an additional teaspoon of yeast, making sure you store the yeast in the fridge and that it’s recently purchased to make sure it is healthy and active. Use bread machine yeast which is more robust or fast-rise yeast which has more active yeast or shutting the machine off after the rising cycle to add more time to the rising time. You’ll have to set a baking cycle only when you turn the machine back on or the kneading cycle will tear apart the dough ball. We’ve kitchen tested this recipe and it should work. It’s possible you need to buy some new yeast and omitting the salt could give it a better chance. Selecting proper settings are also important and the wheat bread cycle is best with the proper loaf weight and crust selection. Sorry you had problems. We’re going to try the recipe again in our kitchens and assess what happens 🙂

Hi Dorothy, This recipe is easy to bake in a conventional oven. Put the ingredients i the bread machine bread pan in the order indicated and select the bread dough setting. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When the dough cycle is complete butter a baking pan and let the dough rise for 30 to 45 minutes. Once the dough has risen, bake fore 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove slice and serve.